Fellowships
Fellowships
A full college education cannot exist within the walls of a classroom alone. That’s why we encourage and support students who decide to pursue nationally competitive fellowships.
Awards represent hundreds of thousands of dollars that allow students to pursue goals such as researching small-scale fishing in the South Pacific, investigating intervention services for people with disabilities in India, completing a master’s degree in scriptwriting in the U.K., teaching English in Austria and co-creating an anthology of stories in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The Office of Fellowships is dedicated to helping students identify and apply for opportunities they feel will most benefit them both during and after their time at W&L.
2023-24: A Record Year
W&L enjoyed another record-setting year for nationally competitive fellowships in 2023-2024, including 12 Fulbright recipients, earning the university “top producer” status for Fulbright U.S. students for the sixth consecutive year.
Fellowship Stories
W&L students have an outstanding track record of fellowship success thanks to the academic preparation and support they receive from our faculty and staff. Here are some of their stories.
Marshall Scholar
Katie Yurechko ’24
Katie, a 2024 graduate with a double major in computer science and philosophy, was named Washington and Lee University’s first Marshall Scholar in December 2023. She was one of 51 scholars chosen to begin graduate studies at universities across the United Kingdom. The scholarship fully funds one to three years of study, which she will spend at the University of Oxford and University College London.
Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service
Alina de Zoysa ’25
Alina, a sociology major with minors in education and poverty and human capability studies, has been awarded the Voyager Scholarship, the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. The Voyager Scholarship is a two-year program that gives juniors who are interested in a career in public service financial support and the opportunity to expand their horizons through meaningful travel and access to a supportive network of mentors and leaders.
Knight-Hennessy Scholar
Tanajia Moye-Green ’23
Tanajia, a 2023 graduate with a major in sociology major and minors in poverty studies and data science, was one of 90 scholars chosen in 2024 to begin or continue graduate studies at Stanford University. The scholarship fully funds up to three years of study, and scholars also participate in the King Global Leadership Program to complement their graduate school education. She is Washington and Lee University’s first Knight-Hennessy Scholar.
Rhodes Scholar
Tahri Phillips ’23
Tahri, a 2023 graduate with majors in cognitive and behavioral science and English, was named Washington and Lee University’s 18th Rhodes Scholar in 2022. She was one of 32 scholars chosen to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford in England. The scholarship, which averages approximately $75,000 per year, and up to as much as $250,000, fully funds two to four years of study at Oxford.
W&L Celebrates Fellowship Awards Record
Through hard work, supportive faculty and staff and an expanded Office of Fellowships, a record number of W&L students received nationally competitive fellowship awards in 2023-24.
W&L’s Celeste Álvarez ’26 Selected for Fulbright to Guatemala
Álvarez looks forward to immersing herself in a different culture with the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship and will attend W&L Law when she returns, with plans to become an immigration lawyer.
W&L’s Jenefer Davies Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
The professor of dance and theater will use the award to conduct research in London.
W&L’s Juyoung Kim ’26 Earns Fulbright to South Korea
Kim will teach English in a Korean school before pursuing a master’s degree in quantum technology and engineering at a German university.
W&L’s Dax Citron ’26 Selected for U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
Citron is looking forward to returning to Vienna, where she spent a semester abroad, and further developing her German language skills.
W&L Alumni and Student Awarded NSF Fellowships
Oriana Gutierrez ’24, Connor Lafo ’26 and Gabrielle Ursin ’25 have received pre-doctoral graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation to support their research.
W&L’s Grayden Holliday ’26 Earns Fulbright Research Award to Austria
Holliday will work on computational protein design at the Graz Institute of Technology before pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Washington.
W&L’s Nona David ’26 Selected for U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
An aspiring educator, David looks forward to combining her love for education and language-learning.
Beyond the Classroom
Lela Casey ’25 took her education around the world with a series of immersive language learning opportunities made possible by W&L’s Office of Fellowships.
W&L’s Patrick Solcher Awarded Fulbright to Spain
For Solcher, teaching English in Spain is an opportunity to meaningfully immerse himself in a new culture and continue building his language skills.
W&L’s Janie Harrison Earns Fulbright to Spain
Harrison looks forward to developing both her teaching and language skills with the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.
W&L’s Aiden Gray ’27 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Gray’s funded research will focus on autonomous oceanographic systems and materials science.
W&L’s Emma Marvelli ’27 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Marvelli’s funded research will focus on patterns of groundwater erosion.